Washington [US], December 2: The White House has confirmed that an admiral gave orders under the authority of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to 'kill all' the survivors of an attack on a suspected drug boat in early September.
The legality of attacks on alleged drug- carrying vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific has been questioned. The Washington Post recently published shocking information that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the military to "kill all" survivors on board the vessel after the initial attack on September 2.
According to the report, after the first attack, the ship was on fire and two people were believed to be holding on. Following the order of the minister, Admiral Frank Bradley ordered a second attack. A total of 11 people died in that incident.
The information has sparked accusations that the order may have amounted to war crimes.
During a press conference on December 1, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that Mr. Hegseth had authorized Admiral Bradley to conduct the second attack, according to The Hill
"President Trump and Secretary Hegseth have made clear that groups designated by the president as narco- terrorists are targets of lethal strikes under the laws of war. With respect to the September 2 strikes, Secretary Hegseth authorized Admiral Bradley to carry out these strikes," Leavitt said.
"Admiral Bradley did well within his authority and the law to ensure the ship was destroyed and the threat to the United States was eliminated. The administration has designated these narco-terrorists as a foreign terrorist organization. The president has the authority to eliminate them if they threaten the United States, if they are bringing in drugs to kill our citizens at record levels, which they are doing," Leavitt said.
The Pentagon previously dismissed the report as "fake news." President Trump also said he trusted Hegseth 100% when the minister said he did not give the "kill all" order.
Several Republican and Democratic lawmakers have expressed concern that the order could amount to a war crime and pledged to investigate the incident.
The incident comes as the Trump administration is concentrating large forces in the Caribbean, raising concerns about an action related to Venezuela . According to Reuters, President Trump convened a meeting with top security advisers on December 1 to discuss Venezuela and many other topics.
Source: Thanh Nieu Newspaper
